Letters to the editor for Aug. 22, 2013

Our county provides water for major California cities and the valley. They valley feeds 8 percent of the nation. Where there is water, there is life.

Close to 30,000 plant and animals species go extinct every year, according to a recent New York Times article. But our next generation will see the extinction of half the planet’s species. We need to confront the greed and ignorance that is causing it. Not a lack of education but willful ignorance, McClintock’s favorite favor.

McClintock is an outspoken warming denier. While the National Academy of Science position on global warming completely disagrees with McClintock. McClintock position is industry’s position, which is greed first, reason last. Industry elected him and owns him.

Ignoring science produced bad policy. One distortion about the environment leads to another until the environment we all depend on becomes our enemy. McClintock held a fake hearing on endangered frogs surrounding himself with “like-thinkers” to avoid science-based testimony.

Ironically the industries that support McClintock have a great deal to lose. For example farmers want do as they please and McClintock parrots what they want to hear. However, as warming increases snowpack disappears earlier, limiting available water at the end of the growing season. Without action today, oceans rise will reach 18 inches by 2050 allowing intrusion of saltwater into the ocean Valley’s aquifers slowly reducing its productivity. Can anyone ignore the collapse of the bee population? McClintock’s disinformation and pandering prevents responsible actions.

Frogs rest at an intersection of the interdependent species; a frog extinction will leads to a cascade of extinctions. When we protect frog or bee populations from vanishing we maintain the environment that supports us. Life clings to this planet finding pesticides; fertilizers and unwelcome microbes in our most pristine headwaters is bad news for everyone.

Tom McClintock should not be re-elected.

Robert Carabas

Sonora

Congress and Obamacare

To the Editor:

Bill Hansen (Letters, Aug. 16) was correct when he noted that Congress had not exempted itself from provisions of Obamacare. However, Congress and its employees have been so exempted. President Obama bestowed the exemption by executive fiat, in violation of the law and the Constitution.

One may only speculate as to whether influential members of Congress sought the exemption, but it seems a reasonable surmise.